Dario David Cioni (born 2 December 1974) is a retired
English-born Italian professional
road bicycle racer.
Career
Mountain bike career
Cioni began his career as a professional
mountain bike racer at the age of 19. He found success early with victory in the Italian Winter Championship and second place at both the Italian Cup and Italian Championships. Selected to represent Italy at the World Championships, Cioni finished tenth. He continued with similar results through his mountain bike career, with several top five placings at World Cup events including second at St. Wendel in 1996. Cioni also rode some
Cyclo-cross towards the end of the nineties.
Road racing career
In 2000, Cioni was selected for the team, alongside, amongst others,
Filippo Pozzato
Filippo "Pippo" Pozzato (born 10 September 1981) is an Italian former road racing cyclist, who rode professionally between 2000 and 2018 for the , , , , , , and two spells with the / teams.
A northern classics specialist, Pozzato finished in se ...
,
Fabian Cancellara
Fabian Cancellara (born 18 March 1981), nicknamed "Spartacus", is a Swiss cycling executive, businessman and former professional road racing cyclist who last rode for UCI ProTeam . He was born in Wohlen bei Bern, Switzerland. Cancellara began ...
,
Michael Rogers and
Charlie Wegelius. His intention was to use the training on the road to help his mountain bike career with the specific aim of riding for Italy at the
2000 Summer Olympics
The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 ( Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from ...
. However, he was not selected for the Olympics and it was at this point that Cioni decided to concentrate on road racing. In his first season, Cioni won a stage of the
Tour of Slovenia
Tour of Slovenia is a stage race cycling race held in Slovenia. Between 2005 and 2018, it was organised as a 2.1 race on the UCI Europe Tour
The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing
Road bicycle racing is the cycle spor ...
and was second in a stage of the
Tour de Normandie
Tour de Normandie is a road bicycle race held annually in the region of Normandy, France. The race started in 1939, but was not held in the periods of 1940–1955 and 1960–1980. It was originally a race for amateurs, but was opened for professi ...
. He also rode his first
Vuelta a España
The Vuelta a España (; en, Tour of Spain) is an annual multi-stage bicycle race primarily held in Spain, while also occasionally making passes through nearby countries. Inspired by the success of the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia, the ...
. In 2001, Cioni won his first stage race, the
Vuelta Minho in Portugal. Cioni moved to in 2003, where he was used as a
domestique
In road bicycle racing, a domestique is a rider who works for the benefit of their team and leader, rather than trying to win the race. In French, ''domestique'' translates as "servant".However, in French, the term used is ''équipier''. In I ...
for
Alessandro Petacchi
Alessandro Petacchi (born 3 January 1974) is an Italian former professional road racing cyclist, who rode professionally between 1996 and 2015. A specialist Cycling sprinter, sprinter, Petacchi has won 48 Grand Tour (cycling), grand tour stages ...
. Whilst Petacchi flourished that season, Cioni had no notable results.
It was in 2004 that Cioni made his breakthrough in sustaining his abilities in
time trialing and
climbing
Climbing is the activity of using one's hands, feet, or any other part of the body to ascend a steep topographical object that can range from the world's tallest mountains (e.g. the eight thousanders), to small boulders. Climbing is done ...
through important stage races. After a promising
Tour de Romandie
The Tour de Romandie is a stage race which is part of the UCI World Tour. It runs through the Romandie region, or French-speaking part of Switzerland. The competition began in 1947, to coincide with the 50-year anniversary of Swiss Cycling. It ...
, where he finished fifth overall, Cioni finished fourth in the
Giro d'Italia and followed this up with third place in the
Tour de Suisse
The Tour de Suisse ( en, Tour of Switzerland) is an annual road cycling stage race. Raced over eight days, the event covers two weekends in June, and along with the Critérium du Dauphiné, it is considered a proving ground for the Tour de France ...
. Cioni was subsequently chosen to represent Italy at the
World Cycling Championships
The UCI world championships are annual competitions promoted by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) to determine world champion cyclists. They are held in several different styles of racing, in a different country each year. Championship winne ...
, however, was not allowed to complete when he registered a hematocrit level over 50%. Although Cioni was aware his hematocrit level was naturally high, he had failed to get an exemption and personal level from the Italian federation in 1999, since his level was not consistently higher than 50%, but consistently around it. The UCI awarded Cioni an exemption certificate, with a personal level, after further tests in October 2004. In 2005, Cioni moved to the newly formed team where, despite being one of the team's leaders and hence liberated from the role of domestique, he had no notable successes. The best that Cioni achieved at Liquigas was a second place in stage four in the
2005 Giro d'Italia
The 2005 Giro d'Italia was the 88th edition of the Giro d'Italia, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It began in Reggio Calabria with a prologue. The race came to a close with a mass-start road stage that stretched from Albese con Cassano to ...
, third place at the 2005 Italian National time trial championships and sixth place overall at the
2006 Tour de Romandie
The 60th Tour de Romandie took place from April 25 through April 30. It is a six-stage cycling tour. It was won by Australian climber Cadel Evans of the who surprisingly won the final time trial stage and won the Overall Classification despite ...
. In 2007, Cioni moved to the
Belgian
Belgian may refer to:
* Something of, or related to, Belgium
* Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent
* Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German
*Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...
ProTour team . His first victory with this team came when he won the first stage of that year's
Vuelta a Andalucía
The Vuelta a Andalucía (Tour of Andalusia) or Ruta del Sol (Route of the Sun) is a regional Spanish road bicycle race first held in 1925. Since 2005, it has been a 2.1 category race on the UCI Europe Tour. The race became a part of the new UCI ...
, outsprinting his breakaway companion
Antón Luengo.
In 2011 he announced his retirement from racing, and moved into a public relations role with his final pro team, . He was also appointed as a member of the inaugural UCI Athletes' Commission in 2011. He originally served as a business manager with the team, combining the role with work as a press officer. He switched roles and became one of the team's
directeurs sportifs in 2014.
Personal life
He currently lives in
Montelupo Fiorentino
Montelupo Fiorentino is a '' comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Florence in the Italian region Tuscany, located about southwest of Florence.
Geography
The area is predominantly hilly and is crossed by the river Pesa that, particu ...
, Tuscany, with his wife. In 2004, Cioni graduated from the
European School of Economics with an honours degree in International Business with specialisation in Sports Management.
Major results
;2004
: 1st
National Time Trial Champion
: 3rd Overall
Tour de Suisse
The Tour de Suisse ( en, Tour of Switzerland) is an annual road cycling stage race. Raced over eight days, the event covers two weekends in June, and along with the Critérium du Dauphiné, it is considered a proving ground for the Tour de France ...
: 4th Overall
Giro d'Italia
: 5th Overall
Tour de Romandie
The Tour de Romandie is a stage race which is part of the UCI World Tour. It runs through the Romandie region, or French-speaking part of Switzerland. The competition began in 1947, to coincide with the 50-year anniversary of Swiss Cycling. It ...
;2005
: 13th Overall
Giro d'Italia
;2006
: 6th Overall
Tour de Romandie
The Tour de Romandie is a stage race which is part of the UCI World Tour. It runs through the Romandie region, or French-speaking part of Switzerland. The competition began in 1947, to coincide with the 50-year anniversary of Swiss Cycling. It ...
;2007
: 1st Stage 1 part b TTT
Settimana Ciclistica Internazionale Coppi-Bartali
: 2nd Overall
Vuelta a Andalucía
The Vuelta a Andalucía (Tour of Andalusia) or Ruta del Sol (Route of the Sun) is a regional Spanish road bicycle race first held in 1925. Since 2005, it has been a 2.1 category race on the UCI Europe Tour. The race became a part of the new UCI ...
::1st Stage 1
;2008
: 2nd Firenze Pistoia
;2009
: 1st Stage 1 part b TTT
Settimana Ciclistica Internazionale Coppi-Bartali
: 3rd Firenze Pistoia
: 4th Overall
Tour of Slovenia
Tour of Slovenia is a stage race cycling race held in Slovenia. Between 2005 and 2018, it was organised as a 2.1 race on the UCI Europe Tour
The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing
Road bicycle racing is the cycle spor ...
: 4th Overall
Vuelta Chihuahua International
;2011
: 7th Overall,
Vuelta a Castilla y León
The Vuelta Ciclista a Castilla y León is a professional road bicycle stage race held in Castile and León, Spain. Since 2005, Vuelta a Castilla y León has been a part of the UCI Europe Tour
The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bi ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cioni, Dario
Italian male cyclists
Italian British sportspeople
Sportspeople from Reading, Berkshire
1974 births
British emigrants to Italy
Living people
Doping cases in cycling
Italian mountain bikers
Directeur sportifs